FEBRUARY 26 - CAESAREA, AKKO and ONWARD

Last night was our final night at the King David Hotel.  Moody let us know that, because it was Shabbat, there would be limited breakfast service in the morning and that coffee would have been made on Friday before sundown.  As far as Michael was concerned, the coffee tasted fine on Saturday morning and I don't recall any issues with breakfast.  Less people serving and less variety of items served, but we were fine and looking forward to another day in Israel!  We were heading to Tiberias so we were expecting a lot of travel by car today.  

Driving north on the highway with the West Bank on our right, there is a fence or wall, depending on security requirements, separating the West Bank and Israel throughout the drive.  There are fences on the borders with Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon not for immigration purposes, as in the States, but a matter of terrorism.  

There are jet fighters always in the sky over Israel 24/7;  as a matter of fact, since 1948, Israel has been in a "state of emergency" but the current government is planning to remove that status.  The Golan Heights which we visited the next day borders Syria.  President Trump recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel.   

Along the way, people asked Moody, obviously in Hebrew, whether I was an Ashkenazy Jew because of my Brooklyn accent and my looks.  They also wondered whether Michael was Chinese because of his looks, obviously because of his Indian heritage that might give him an Asian look to some people. 

Our first stop of the day:  Caesarea.   "Built by Rome’s Judean Governor, Herod the Great, two millennia ago, as a tribute to Augustus Caesar.  Caesarea was one of the largest and most magnificent man-made ports in the Mediterranean, with giant piers stretching out into the sea to accommodate dozens of ships. The city of Caesarea contained a giant hippodrome, aqueduct and theater; a thousand years later the Crusaders arrived and built a giant fortress, and then came the Ottomans, who turned it into a seaside town. Today, the Roman theatre is a venue for concerts, the Crusader fortress is thrilling to visit and the Ottoman harbor and beach are full of cafes, restaurants and a visitors’ center. Caesarea is 45 minutes’ drive from Tel Aviv, 20 from Haifa."

 

The Baháí Gardens were on the way to Acre (Akko), so we decided to stop and take a quick look.  "These gardens, located in the heart of Haifa, comprise a staircase of nineteen terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel. The golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá’í Faith, stands on the central terrace, looking across the bay towards Akko." 

All this sight-seeing made us hungry and we stopped in Haifa for takeaway sandwiches - schnitzel in pita for Michael and falafel for me.  Moody knew all the little "hole-in-the-wall" places for great food!  

George then drove on to Acre or Akko, as it's called in Israel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see the Crusader Halls, markets and old town.  "One of the world's oldest seaports and considered perhaps the most important historical port town in Israel, Akko was mentioned as far back as 3,500 years by the Pharoah Tuthmosis III.  Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Ottomon Turks and a succession of Crusaders occupied the town, destroying, rebuilding and fortifying."

  
Walking through the town, we came upon this car decorated with beautiful fresh flowers.  No doubt, a car belonging to a bride or groom. 

 

 

Pastries, of course, at the dozens of stalls in the public market.

 

On to Tiberias, for our first of two nights' stay at The Scots Hotel.  

I found The Scots Hotel to be one of the more charming and interesting hotel we stayed at during our trip to the Middle East.  When we checked in, we were given a book about its history which can be read about here on its website. The Hotel is owned and managed by the Church of Scotland and is comprised of several buildings.  Our room was in "The Manse - The Doctor's House" built in 1890.  

Upon arrival, we were offered tea which I accepted and to my glass was immediately added a bit of Scotch.  I'm not a Scotch drinker, but this was REALLY good! 

 

I remember very vividly the smell of the air when entering this building.  It was probably one of the most beautiful scents that permeated the halls of The Doctor's House.  We remember seeing an episode of CSI Vegas about how casinos pump very specific aromas into their air conditioning systems that are designed to create an air of well being so that people would continue to gamble.  Apparently, these scents are somehow protected under copyright laws.  I have no idea if that's really true or not.  But I do know that the aroma in the halls of this hotel was absolutely lovely and definitely provided a sense of peacefulness.  

Our room was exquisite with a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee.  We couldn't find the air conditioning controls so Michael called the front desk and asked someone to come up to the room to show us.  The gentleman came and when we asked about the air conditioning, he very matter of fact-ly said, "There's no air conditioning - open the windows!" - which, of course, we did in the evening. 

 

 

We were on our own for dinner that night but A&K arranged for us to have a wine tasting experience in the wine cellar at The Scots Hotel hosted by a lovely and very knowledgeable gentleman named Denis Budasov and devout Christian.  Denis offered us a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, rose and pinot noir, with descriptions about each.  My favorite was a Judean Hills Red, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah and petit verdot.  

I was most interested in knowing what makes a wine "kosher."  I always wondered, "How are grapes made kosher?"  Well, much to my surprise, Denis explained that it isn't the grapes that are kosher.  What makes a wine kosher is the fact that every aspect of the wine making must be done by Orthodox Jews.  On the other hand, a non-Jew can be the owner of a winery but the employees handling every step of the process must be Orthodox Jewish.  Very interesting. 

 

Afterwards, we had a lovely dinner comprised of an array of starters, main dishes and desserts from the Hotel's buffet.  

Another memorable day in Israel comes to an end but tomorrow promises even more wonders!